YMCA Serving Plattsburgh for Over 100 Years

YMCA survives with the help of community and still serves the community today

Story and Photos by Matt Kipp

The Young Men’s Christian Association, or YMCA, has been a fixture in the Plattsburgh community that has provided a family friendly atmosphere for over a century.

The YMCA first opened in Plattsburgh in 1886.  It was originally located on 36 1/2 Margaret Street.  According to a Saturday April 25, 1908 issue of the Plattsburgh Press, plans for a new facility were being drawn up.  The contract for the new building would cost $73,000.  In 1908, the YMCA moved to 17 Oak St. The move gave them an opportunity to offer social and athletic programs to the Plattsburgh community. 

For the first time in Plattsburgh the YMCA offered swimming, bowling, basketball, and tennis to young men.  It also provided a library, game room, auditorium, and workshops to less active people and other groups that used the facility.

When the Great Depression hit Plattsburgh the YMCA was saved from collapse from the support shown by the community and most importantly the General Secretary at the time, Thomas L. Freeborne. When Freeborne came to office in 1932 the institution came close to closing its doors due to its deteriorating physical state, lack of public support, small membership, and poor services. 

During his first year in office the Freeborne gave the YMCA a new look by painting the lobby and making general repairs.  He also initiated new programs like the city basketball league, which included 8 year old boys to grown men, and also the Neighborhood League for Underprivileged Boys, which provided jobs for boys that came from low-income families.

The YMCA was still struggling during this period, but survived due to the help of benefactors from the community.  In January 1937, Dr. Gilbert Dare gave the YMCA shares of Kennecott Copper worth $45,000, C.W. Brown donated an extension telephone, and George Butler gave an interest free loan of $1000.  The YMCA started to gain more respect from the community and soon became the town’s civic center of the time.
Freeborne held an office position but helped the YMCA by becoming the bookkeeper, electrician, plumber, carpenter, and general repairman.  He would also be behind in his salary a quarter of the time.  Through efforts from the community, the members of the Board, and Secretary Freeborne, a new era of the YMCA had come forth.

Since the time of the Depression the Plattsburgh YMCA has grown and continues to expand.  "We are not just young, just men, or just Christian anymore," says YMCA Associate Executive Director Peter L. Price. 

"We still keep the values of the Judeo Christian principles."

The facility recently added the Paul Titherington Cardiovascular Center at the YMCA about two years ago.  Individual viewing screens have been intergraded into the machines at the center.  "It has added about $1000 to the cost of each machine, you can watch any channel you want," says Price.  "You can watch CSI, sports, weather, news, soap operas, and before you know it an hour is gone. It has been really popular."

Bright Beginnings is a child care center that is located on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base on Northern Avenue.  It has been opened since September 1997.  "We have 55 children right now," said Child Care Director Jacqueline Prather.  They are open from Monday to Friday from 6:45am- 5:30pm. "We have infants through preschool age," said Prather. "They have arts and crafts and the preschool age children have swim lessons once a week," she says.  The children at the Center also have family activities.

Prospective members of the YMCA are given a full tour of the facility and are offered a free one week trial pass.  There are two methods of paying for a membership.  One is paying in full for the whole year, which gives a member a full-year membership.  The other is the Draft. "The Draft is an electronic transfer from a checking account or credit card that deducts money every month," says Price.  "The convenience of doing it monthly is that you can stop, you don’t have to commit to a full year membership."  The YMCA implemented this electronic system in January 2008.  "It’s just been terrific," Price says.

"We’ve only scratched the surface of potential that this computerized system can do for us."      

"The YMCA is a very important part of the community," says Aquatics and Physical Director Patti Warner.  She has been involved with the Plattsburgh YMCA since she was 16 years old.  "It’s a very homelike atmosphere," she says.  Warner is very involved with the members.  "It’s nice to know when someone goes on vacation, I know their name and can ask them later, ‘How was your vacation?’" she says.  "If I’m out for a day, they are like, ‘Where you sick, what happened?’"  The YMCA community is a very close group and Warner says, "Everybody meshes together, they interact with each other like everyone is the same."

The staff is also an important part of the YMCA.  "We have about 125 employees," says Price.  Most of the employees are part-time and there are six Department Heads.  Warner says, "There’s a lot of challenges with it [her job] and I do enjoy challenges, and I’m very thankful to have a job that I love."  A lot of the employees are volunteers. "The volunteers here are very committed, they do a great service to the community," says Warner.     

There are three special events the YMCA holds every year: Tour DeRendhill, Y Try, and the Golf Tournament.  The Tour DeRendhill is a 14-mile uphill bike ride.  "It is Plattsburgh’s Tour De France," says Warner.  The Y-Tri is a triathlon race held every year that involves a half-mile lake swim, 18-mile bike ride, and a 4-mile run.  And finally an annual Golf Tournament is held to raise money for charity.   

The YMCA members are very diverse. "One thing about the ‘Y’, we have a variety for all different groups," says Price.  The YMCA is an important part of the community; it has been there through the good times as well as the bad. "We are very interactive, it’s more than just a building, its way more than a building," says Warner.

Want to learn more about the programs the YMCA offers?